One of the suggestions from the Stop/Start/Continue activity was that I start posting a few discussion questions about the small-group reading before class each week. So here are a few, drawn from this weeks' facilitators' questions, about the excerpts from David Shipler's book, The Working Poor:· In the beginning of the article, on pages 5 and 6, Shipler introduces the concept of the American myth, which places the blame of poverty on the poor, and the American Anti-myth, which states that the poor are victims of uncontrollable circumstances. Which myth plays a greater role in causing poverty or is poverty caused by a combination of both?
· What is the responsibility of the government toward people living in poverty?
· "If it weren’t for the poor, who would flip the burgers?" How do you feel about that statement and what does it have to do with educating children in poor communities?
· On page 44, the last page of the article, Christie attributes her poverty to laziness. What does this say about
5 comments:
Question 1. I think it's a combination of BOTH the American Myth and the American Anti-myth. It seems like many people believe one or the other and then those beliefs are talked about in the media, in movies, etc.
Question 2. I feel like I've heard that statement or something like it before. I think it's an unfair statement to the people who are poor. It teaches children in poor communities that flipping burgers is what they're supposed to do.
Question 3. I think the media has a lot to do with how America views poverty. Through the media I've seen people of poverty portrayed as lazy. I think since the media really influences how society does EVERYTHING from eating to clothing, Amercia's view is going to be exactly that. I think many poor people know that they are very often portrayed as lazy and careless. Some may take that and try to change that view, and some may use it as an excuse.
I think that the question two and three go hand and hand. The media plays a nasty part in building a very specific view of the poor. I fall prey to these such stereotypes and all to often walking around downtown i see poor people begging for change or such and i look down on them, the idea and common sayings like "get a job" run into my head and it takes me to really consider the other options for many. We, as a society, feed off the media's images everyday and we need to take a minute to think if the middle class white people view poor people that way imagin what poor people themselves think. Here media and government and people in general hold the idea that you are poor because you choose to be, because you do not want to become better. If this is said over and over again to a child how do you think they are going to react. It's like the whole mentality that if you are going to get in trouble for something you didn't do you mine as well do it anyways. At least that's what i think sometimes even if i don't act on it. If a label of being lazy and incompatent is placed on a person from childhood what ambition or drive do or could they have to go against that. With the media constantly putting views of poor into our heads and the heads of people in that situation it's a constant cycle. Everyone should be given the opportunity to become whatever they want to become regardless of social standing. Of course that is not always the case in this country and it needs to change.
Being poor is not a choice that you make, but it can sometimes be unavoidable. The is truth to both myths but that shouldn't impede any students right to a better education. There is a lot of influence from media and the poor are dirty and undereducated or uneducated. The government has a lot of responsibility to helping Americans get out of poverty. When someone gets a job, they need to be weened off the system not just dropped from it. They need to save a little to break the cycle of poverty in case something happens.
I was prepared for my job layoff. I had applied for jobs everywhere. I had my associates degree but that was it. I had worked my way up through the USPS and was making 21.67/hr...before taxes it was 44K a year. I saved money for the just in cases. I didn't have the recommended 50% of my annual income saved but I wasn't planning on a layoff either. I couldn't get a job anywhere because they saw my income figure and assumed that I would leave or not stay because they paid $8-10/hr. It took 14 months including the 6 before the job ended to get someone/anyone to hire me. During that time my savings evaporated after my basement flooded and destroyed everything down there. It cost me 12K in repairs and cleanup. I had no money left in savings by the time I got a job. Unemployment and the 2K I had left paid most bills.
I had nothing in expenses to scale down. I had utilities, mortgage, car, insurance, taxes, gas, and groceries.
I make no excuses but even with planning I was beyond broke and couldn't imagine if I had a child to care for. My mother would have helped me if not for the CAT layoff that followed mine. 14 Businesses have gone under and laid off mass amounts of people in Peoria in the last 4 years. The poor have grown in number because there is no where to work. Its reflected in the school district.
Being poor has a hodge podge of reasons but after my experience I won't think that a student's parents made bad choices or they lack knowledge, because like me it could be a series of events beyond their control and I'd rather give the benefit of the doubt.
There will always be someone to flip the burgers. High school students and college students all need jobs and without the smaller jobs which you can work part time, we would not have a way of making money while going to school. Teenagers want things, and parents cant always get those things, so working is the way of obtaining what you want. Many students have to pay their way through college and working is another way to do that.
In Christie's situation her level of poverty could very well be from the fact that she is lazy but that is not necessarily the case for all people living in poverty and by her telling people that that is why she lives in poverty then many others will believe its the same for all people and therefore wont want to help them get out of poverty and become something more.
"In Christie's situation her level of poverty could very well be from the fact that she is lazy but that is not necessarily the case for all people living in poverty and by her telling people that that is why she lives in poverty then many others will believe its the same for all people and therefore wont want to help them get out of poverty and become something more."- Megan
I think that Christie was referring to the fact that she didn't go back to school on being lazy, not necessarily saying that is the reason for her poverty level. I mean, honestly, look at her, she was working for day care in which she couldn't even afford for her own children. I think that she was doing the best that she could possible do in the circumstances that she was dealt. As we went through the activity in class about budgeting etc. i think that it should be more and more clear that she was doing the best she can do. It's not as if she is not working, and just staying home by choice and not forced.
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